Indestructible
by Your Great Escape
Summary: She thought I was invincible. Indestructible. Shatterproof. Well, she beat me. She proved I could be broken, that I could be utterly destroyed. And then she forced her way back in, forced the wounds open again, with the claim that she could heal them.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Bonjour! I'd like to say first of all that I don't own Harry Potter, or any of the things you recognize. What you don't… 'tis mine. Hope you enjoy it, and please, leave me a review when you're done.**

**And a warning. This fic is not How Many Bullets. I was in ninth grade when I started that, and I'm almost out of high school now. This fic is a completely different beast. It's dark, it's angsty… It's violent and disgusting, or it will be. If you object, don't read it. If you read it, please don't flame me. And don't say I didn't warn you.**

**Bon Appetit.**

.y.g.e.

It was a beautiful summer day at Godric's Hollow. The sun was shining, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of ancient oak trees as the occasional cloud passed overhead. On the ground, in the Potters' driveway, at least a dozen people were moving boxes into the house, filled with whatever possessions they had left. War had ravaged the wizarding world for years now, taking lives and possessions and love. It had destroyed many, and in order to survive, you had to be strong, or at least tell yourself that you were. And so everyone kept going, moving whatever they had left after Voldemort ripped their lives apart.

One lone figure sat on the roof sixty feet above the group, perched above the tower room, staring down, watching them laugh and gossip and argue. His name was James Potter, he was twenty years old, and he was shirtless. He had been sitting on the roof for three hours now, and it was only nine o'clock in the morning. Perhaps he was avoiding the work down below, or avoiding someone else, or maybe he was just thinking.

Whatever the case, James was joined shortly by another figure – this one was taller, paler, just as muscular. Sirius Black was easily distinguishable by his piercing grey eyes and black hair. He carried a plate with toast on it in one hand, and a joint in the other.

"Hey Sirius," James said as the other boy handed him the plate.

"Eat."

"I'm not hungry," came the stubborn reply.

"Alright, if you don't want it, I'll take it. But don't come crying to me later about how you didn't eat breakfast," Sirius said, as James took the marijuana in exchange for the plate. He lit it, taking in a drag.

"I thought you said you quit that."

"Who do you think you are, my mother?" James retorted angrily, blowing smoke in Black's direction.

"I know what she would say…"

"I don't care what she would say. I'm twenty years old – I don't need her running my life. Besides, you're the one who keeps bringing it into the house."

James took another drag, as Sirius asked, "This isn't about Lily, is it?" The Potter boy lost his cool, coughing everything he had just inhaled back up. Two years earlier, James Potter and Lily Evans had been an item. He had proposed shortly before they left Hogwarts. She had turned down his offer and broken up with him. He had gone out and slept with a bunch of other girls in an attempt to recover, had a bout where he smoked all day, done all sorts of stupid things. Nothing worked. James Potter had determined that Lily was impossible to forget, and he hated her for it. "Knew it," Sirius continued, taking the drug from James.

"I don't want to hear it," James snapped, looking off at the other side of the roof. "Especially since you're not over Kim."

"Kim's dead! It's completely different!" Sirius growled dangerously, eyes flashing with anger.

"And that somehow means I loved Lily less?! _Please_."

There was a long silence, as the minutes seemed to crawl by. Sirius was looking at his feet, as they passed the drug back and forth, until James finally dropped it off the roof, extinguished. "It's nice of your parents to let the Order work here for a while," Black said finally, in an effort to break the silence.

"Well, you know they'd do anything for Dumbledore," James replied, lying back onto the hot shingles. "Do you know how many people are staying here? I mean, I know Remus is moving in, and I'm sure Grace is coming with him… Anybody hot?"

"I'm hot," Sirius replied, smirking as James gave him a look. "I'm supposed to see Dumbledore about something, though. Don't stay out here too long, or your mother's going to start asking questions." The two climbed off the roof, slipping downstairs, where they were quickly put to work carrying boxes to various rooms of the house.

.y.g.e.

James opened his door again later that day, his hair, still wet from a shower, falling into his eyes. He was wearing an old pair of jeans, along with an old grey shirt that read 'Property of Gryffindor Quidditch' across the front, with mud spatters up the back. Whatever he expected to see as he left his bedroom, it wasn't what greeted him.

She was still beautiful – it almost came as a shock, though it shouldn't have. He had always know that she would only get better-looking, and land guys that were better than him – guys that actually deserved her. She had the same eyes, though her blazing red hair was longer, falling to the middle of her back. Her sundress was shorter than anything she had worn back at Hogwarts, and it exposed her pale, perfect legs.

'Merlin,' the redhead thought, biting his lip. He had grown up. He was gorgeous. He must have grown an inch since school ended, and he was obviously quite muscular. His eyes hadn't changed either… Honest, shrewd, angry… That certainly hadn't been there before.

She pushed past him, continuing down the hall before either of them could utter a word, as he caught her wrist in one hand. "Let go," she whispered, yanking the limb away. He didn't let go.

"No."

"Let go," she warned again. "I'll scream."

"I'm sure you will," he replied coolly, pulling the girl – no, woman – towards him. "I want answers."

"What's to answer? We have nothing to discuss," she replied, wishing he wasn't quite so close. Her eyes had traveled away from him, to rest on the photograph of a very young James with his father that was framed on the wall.

"We have plenty to discuss," he snapped back, pushing her against the opposite wall, as she slapped him.

Lily smiled, satisfied with the pop that rang out as her hand collided with his face, and with the small cry that issued from his mouth as he grabbed her other hand, and pinned both her wrists above her head.

"Why'd you break up with me?"

She had expected this question… She wasn't going to answer it, though. She couldn't have, not with him this close, his hot hands pressed against her cool ones. "No!" she shouted, as he released her arms, pressing his lips to her forehead, then her nose, then a cheek. Her arms slid around him, under the ratty shirt he wore, feeling the scars that had appeared there seemingly overnight, as his lips brushed lightly against the hollow in her neck.

And then a voice from a few meters away. "James?" Potter pulled back, releasing her, as Lily turned a shade of pink that could have put any turnip to shame, disappearing down the hallway. How could she have let him do that? They had barely seen each other five minutes, and already, he had managed to melt away her resolve to hate him. Well, it wouldn't happen again – she would be immune to all his charm and warmth and words. And she slammed her door behind her, just to let him know she still hated him.

After a moment, James towards back towards Sirius Black, trembling. "What's up?"

"Come downstairs. There's a girl there," Black replied.

"I'm not interested."

"Not for you, stupid. For me," Black said, already devising how he would convince her to sleep with him.

"Alright," James replied, rolling his eyes as they walked downstairs, leaving through the French doors at the back to stroll through the garden.

"Are you high?"

"No, why?"

"You're shaking." Then, Sirius left James behind, approaching the brunette staring into the small pond from ten feet away. She was tall, reaching a height of 5 foot eight, a good match for Sirius' six feet two inches. Her brunette hair formed waves down her back, stopping just short of slim hips that met mile-long legs. Definitely Sirius' type – thin, pretty, brown eyes… James turned away, grinning as he went back to the house. Sirius obviously had never met Marlene McKinnon if he thought she would sleep with him.

"Hello," Sirius said softly, grinning as she jumped. "I take it you'll be staying here for a while?"

"Yes," Marlene replied, still staring into the lake. Abruptly, she remembered her manners, offering him a hand, which he took firmly. "Marlene McKinnon."

"Sirius Black," he replied, eying the rather low-cut red dress she was wearing.

"My face is up here, you know."

"Yes, but that dress would look so good on my floor."

She slapped him, hard, and pushed him into the pond as she stalked away past Black, towards the house.

"Wait, wait," Sirius said, hurrying to catch up with her, cursing the fact that the bottoms of his pant legs were now soaked. He had cursed himself for looking at her earlier, the same way he had looked at Kim McCracken two years ago. She was beautiful, and she was too good for him, and the worst thing was, she knew it. And the only way to get a girl like that out of your system was to sleep with her and tell yourself you'd had better. And it looked like this simply wasn't going to happen, without a little coaxing. "I've got a proposition for you. You give me a second chance, and I'll cook dinner for you. And I can promise you the food won't be bad."

Marlene glanced towards Remus, who was now standing on the porch with them, who glanced between the two, trying to decide whether or not he should tell the truth. After Sirius folded his hands as if he was praying, Moony nodded, and Marlene turned back towards Black, who was now staring at the floor.

"Fine, but it better be good."

He leaned in close. "Don't worry. I'm good at everything I do."

"I might have bought that if your breath didn't smell like onions," she countered, determined to have the last word. She did – Sirius was too busy glaring at Remus (who was laughing hysterically) to respond.

.y.g.e.

**A/N: hope you liked it… hope the characters are strong enough for you. Review for me, s'il vous plait. Merci.**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Bonjour! I'm leaving for three weeks, so I thought I'd try and write another chapter before I left. Here you go. Thanks so much to my UL buddies – XOXXOXOXXOXO. Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed – I really appreciate it. Again, I'm not JKR. Enjoy.

.y.g.e.

James and Lily spent the rest of the day ignoring each other. Lily was cursing James for kissing her, for trying to make her explain. She didn't have to explain anything to him. After all, it was none of his business any more – it had been two years since they had been together. The dinner table was pretty much silent, until Sirius began a conversation trying to figure out what James couldn't do. The conversation was short-lived, as Lily screamed at the pair to 'shut your bloody mouths and eat.'

When she walked into the kitchen the following morning, James and Sirius had already revived their conversation. Each of them had a cup of hot coffee in their hand, sipping at it as Sirius suggested things that James couldn't do. Ignoring the pair, she poured herself a cup, sweetening it with a teaspoon of sugar and some cream before leaning back against the counter, sipping it.

"Erm…you can't touch your nose with your tongue."

James laughed, sticking out his tongue, and easily reaching the tip of his nose. Lily blinked rapidly, pushing every thought away that had just come into her mind. She had forgotten how long his tongue was, how he could practically reach down her throat with it – they had experimented with this on multiple occasions. "Ohhh," James responded, drawing out the word. "What now? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

"Shut up, I'm thinking," Black responded. "Back flip?"

"Find me somewhere flat, and I'll show you."

"Oh, wait… I've got one," Sirius said, taking another sip of coffee, ignoring Lily behind him.

"You can't… Oh, wait, never mind… Hrmm…"

James rolled his eyes. "I still don't see why you're so obsessed with me, Padfoot."

"Oh, I know," Sirius said, feeling slightly guilty for what he was about to say. "You can't get a girl to marry you." Lily sputtered into her coffee cup, choking on the hot liquid for a moment before pouring the liquid out on Black's head. "What was that for?" Sirius demanded, glaring hotly at her. "It's not like you ever gave a damn, anyways!"

"You ass!" She shouted, watching as James, who had turned completely white, got up and left. "Of course I cared!"

"Then why'd you leave him?" Sirius shouted after Lily, who was following James. She found him kneeling in front of the toilet, retching.

Apparently, he had already thrown up once when she arrived. She conjured a glass of water, handing it to James and laying a hand on his back as he sat back. "You alright?"

"Fine," was James' reply, as he downed the water, still able to taste the stomach acid in his mouth. It was a lie, but it was better than telling her how much he hated her for everything. He could remember everything perfectly, even now.

"_Normally, I would have waited longer," the Head Boy began, clearing his throat. He continued, his voice getting stronger. "But I love you, more than I could ever love anyone else. I'm a blood traitor. I don't know how long I'll live after we graduate, but I want to be with you forever. So, I guess what I want to ask is, will you marry me?" He held out the ring for her to take. It was gold, with a princess-cut diamond. It had been his grandmother's, and a family heirloom for generations and generations before that. _

_Lily put a hand to her mouth in shock. The ring was beautiful, and he was amazingly sweet about everything. How could he ask her this now? After she had decided what needed to be done in order for them both to survive? "James," she whispered, staring at him for a moment. "I can't. I'm sorry." The grin slowly faded from his face, as they stared at each other. "You should go."_

And that was how Lily Evans had left him. He didn't remember much more of that night – he and Sirius had been completely smashed by the end of it, and had awoken the following morning to the worst headaches in Hogwarts history.

"Don't lie," Lily said, turning him towards her, wrapping both her arms around his back. "That was mean of him to say."

"He had to say it," James said, taking her hands, forcing her to release him. Besides, Sirius was right. He had spent too long moping over a girl who was still making him crazy, and who he would never have a chance with, anyways. It was all pointless. He couldn't make the same mistake twice, could he? He certainly still loved her, still felt the desire to take her and hold her until they both stopped hurting. "And I'm not lying. I'm fine."

"Liar," she retorted, standing up, dropping his hands. "You might want to brush your teeth." He nodded, watching her leave before heading back up the stairs to his bedroom.

He never had time to brush his teeth.

"JAMES!!! THERE'S BEEN AN ATTACK!!!" Sirius roared up the stairs, until James came out, now wearing shoes, his wand in hand.

"Where?"

"Diagon Alley!"

There was a fairly loud pop, and he disappeared, to reappear in the center of Diagon Alley, faced by a scene of chaos. Bodies were already strewn across the cobblestone street, as masked faces shot hexes and curses at innocent wizards. James jumped as one was shot his way, hitting the brick right beside his head. He hexed back, as Sirius and Lily appeared on the opposite side of the street, along with Grace and a dozen other Aurors.

And they fought, knowing they were outnumbered five to one by the group of Death Eaters, that it was rather likely that several of them would be dead by the time this battle was over.

James had saved several civilians in the course of an hour, sending them off down an alleyway that led into the muggle world, telling them not to use magic until they were alone. He had gone through three months of training to become an Auror, and very little of it was practical. He had learned a lot of it at school, but the training they gave the Aurors didn't match what they had to do in the field. He heard Lily scream across the street, and turned to see Sirius hexing the brains out (literally) of the death eater who had just grabbed Lily, dragging her away towards some dark corner as she struggled to make him let go.

Now, even the Aurors were on the run, defensive. There were too many death eaters – they were going to kill everyone, unless some miracle happened. James was exhausted from hexing and blocking and trying not to back himself into a wall for an hour, and breaking every wand that flew into his hand. Then, suddenly, Voldemort's cronies disapparated, leaving the Aurors to survey the damage.

The streets were drenched in blood, covered in corpses, and the Aurors looked a bit worse for wear. There was blood on everyone, whether it was their own or someone else's. "Let's go," Sirius said, finally, "before they come back." There were more pops, as everyone returned to James' house.

Remus greeted them at the door, frowning at what he saw. He forced them all into the kitchen, tending to their scrapes and scratches, sometimes to deeper gashes and cuts, and to the adverse effects of curses. No one spoke – they were all too tired. Several left for showers and sleep, others just falling into slumber at the kitchen table, too exhausted to move.

.y.g.e.

That night, Sirius served dinner to Marlene McKinnon on the back porch. It consisted of salad, pork, rice… All of which were wonderful. They spoke little, though Black thought things were going well based on how much she was enjoying the food. Besides, what little conversation they did have was pleasant… She liked Quidditch, obviously… Had been captain the previous year, after he and James had graduated. It was something to forget about everything else.

Everything only went downhill when he served the dessert. It was a chocolate cake with raspberries baked in. Marlene thought it was wonderful, until her face started swelling up. Recognizing the familiar feeling, she got up, running inside to find Remus before she passed out. Luckily, he was in the kitchen, and completely capable of helping. He pulled her hand away from her face, as Sirius arrived, watching from the other side of the kitchen.

"Okay… Allergic reaction," Remus muttered, with a look at her immensely swollen lips and cheeks. He pulled a potion out of his collection of bottles, measuring out a cup of the foul-smelling substance. She choked on it before swallowing the nasty green mixture, and heading upstairs, hiding her swollen face behind one hand.

"Should go down in a couple hours," Remus said softly to Sirius, raising an eyebrow at her. "Did you actually make her dinner, or am I dreaming?"

"You're dreaming," Sirius said sarcastically. "You have a much more sick and twisted mind than I first thought." He grinned. "I don't know… Is she allergic to chocolate? Because it only started when she ate the dessert."

"Well, maybe you should ask people these things before you try to woo them by cooking dinner for them."

"I was not trying to woo her," Sirius protested, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was trying to sleep with her."

"Too late," Remus responded, grinning. "You like her. You liiiiiiiiike her…"

Sirius made a rather obscene gesture and went storming up the stairs, stopping when he saw Marlene's closed door. He knocked, softly. "Come in," she said, and he did so, crossing the room to where she laid on the bed. She was on her side, and had changed into her pajamas.

"You alright?" Black asked, sitting down, then laying down to face her when she tugged on his hand.

"I'm fine." There was a long silence. "Raspberries. I'm allergic to raspberries."

"I'm sorry," he responded, noting that their faces were inches from each other, and they were lying on her bed.

"Sirius, why are you so numb?" Marlene asked, staring at him, drawing patterns with one fingernail upon his palm.

"I'm not numb," he responded stubbornly, their eyes meeting. Hers were full of questions. His were empty – perhaps he didn't have the answers after all.

.y.g.e.

Reviews are appreciated. Flames are not.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAACK! And here's a new chapter. Thanks so much for your patience. And I hope you all enjoyed the new HP book. Oh, and I still don't own any of the characters here. :D**

.y.g.e.

A few days later, Sirius came downstairs to hear the sounds of Lily and Marlene gossiping. "So he just up and left in the middle of the night? I say you have every right to be upset at…" Lily's voice died as she saw Sirius cross the room, making it obvious that they had been talking about him.

"Good morning, Black," Marlene said, her tone unreadable. "Didn't think you'd be up this early."

"It's almost noon," Sirius said in return, raising his eyebrows. "I wouldn't want to miss seeing the sunlight on your pretty face." He flashed a grin at Marlene, who had blushed a rather dark shade of pink that Sirius found to be quite flattering.

"Oh, by the way, we're going out shopping," Lily added, casually, hoping that Sirius would just let them leave without being stalked afternoon. "You can tell James that if no one follows us this time around, I'll kiss him when I get back."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I'm not telling him that. When will you be back?"

"Sometime tonight… I also have to stop in to see my Mum," Marlene interjected, meeting his eyes, unsmiling.

"We'll see you later," Lily said, rising from her seat on the couch, and disappearing with a loud CRACK. Marlene followed suit before Sirius could pose any further questions.

.y.g.e.

"You did what?" James demanded, somewhat angrily. "You just let them go, didn't ask where they were going, when they'd be back? Nothing?!"

"I asked, but they were really vague about it. I figured they were out buying lingerie or something, and it was none of my business!" Sirius was annoyed – James had no right to question him like this. It wasn't his fault the girls had put on a unified front. Besides, Marlene was mad at him, and he couldn't figure out why.

"Girls don't go together to buy lingerie," James argued, his arms crossed over his chest. "They go alone, or they go with their boyfriend and his galleons."

"And I suppose you have a lot of experience with this?"

James raised his eyebrows.

"Gwen?" Sirius asked, trying to sound normal. Of all James' girlfriends, he _despised_ Gwendolen Summers. She had waltzed into James' life right after Hogwarts, and she had never really left. James had broken up with her a few times, but they always got back together when he got lonely enough. It was always whenever he started thinking about Lily again. Talk about vicious cycles. But Sirius had never really forgiven Gwen for what he saw as taking advantage of James.

James didn't answer, but his response was obvious by the shade of red that had stained his cheeks.

"Is she still coming over tomorrow, and what on Earth is Lily going to say?"

"Yes, and Lily's not going to say anything, because whatever I ever had with Evans is completely finished."

"Evans stole your favorite pair of boxers," Sirius said, grinning. "I saw her, and she paid me not to tell you."

James laughed. "Liar. Oh, that reminds me. Dumbledore's coming tonight for dinner. You have to cook."

Sirius sighed, walking off and muttering something about short notice. James laughed, strolling into the study.

.y.g.e.

Dinner had come and gone, and Dumbledore had arrived. The girls, however, had not. "Has there been another attack?" James asked finally, not ceasing his pacing across the kitchen.

"It's possible," Albus Dumbledore replied softly, calmly, watching James leave the room, running for the stairs. He exchanged a meaningful look with Sirius. "We can't let him leave – then we've got three of them out there, potentially all in different locations."

"He's not leaving," Sirius said firmly, pulling his wand out of his pocket. "He'll understand better tomorrow." Black was unsurprised to see James come bounding down the stairs, his invisibility cloak in one hand. "James."

"I'm going." It had to be about the tenth time they had had this argument, over someone's absence, if not Lily's.

"No, you're staying here, because as soon as you leave, they will come waltzing in that door," Sirius said, his eyes rolling skywards for a moment. "And besides, Lily said she'd kiss you if you didn't go stalking them this afternoon."

"She can't kiss me if she's dead," James said, turning away from his friend, sulking.

"I –" Sirius was interrupted by rapid knocking on the door. James was there in an instant, turning the handle and pulling inwards. It was Lily and Marlene, both looking worse for wear.

"What happened?" James asked, slipping an arm around Lily's shoulders, not caring for the consequences. She fell into him, letting him support her weight as he pulled her inside, locking the door and pulling her further into his arms. Marlene was in better condition, walking into the kitchen as if she had a mission. Sirius quickly followed suit, assaulting the girl with questions.

The redhead couldn't respond, as she was overwhelmed by the sobs that shook her thin frame, her head pressed into James' shoulder. She made no effort to protest when he picked her up, and, holding her like a child, he took her up the stairs to his bedroom, laying her down on his bed, his arms still around her as he propped her up on the pillows. She still sobbed, even as James smoothed her hair, soaked by the rain. "What happened?"

"Dementors," the redhead finally replied, wrapping her arms around James' neck, making him stay.

"Accio chocolate," he said, as a slab flew into the room, having come from the kitchen cupboard. He broke off a piece, handing it to the redhead, with the order to eat. She did so, slowly, and the tears ceased falling down her pale face. "What did you see?" he asked softly, knowing she wouldn't tell him. Lily only shook her head, finishing off the small chunk of chocolate he had handed her. "You're all wet."

"No shit, Sherlock," Lily replied, irked by the concern in James' voice. Still, she didn't stop him when his hands deftly undid the buttons on her shirt, pulling the wet material away from her cold skin. His hands felt like fire to her, as they pushed her shirt off, and pulled one of his t-shirts over her head to replace it, as James blushed at the sight of her light blue bra. "So, how long has it been since you've seen a woman naked?" Lily asked, using the color in his cheeks as an indicator.

"Long enough," James replied, planting a kiss on her forehead. In reality, it had been about three months, the last time he had seen Gwen. But Lily didn't need to know about her. To prevent the girl from inquiring further, he shoved another chunk of chocolate into her rapidly warming hand. "And when was the last time you slept with someone?" He returned, flawlessly imitating her voice.

"Mmmm…" Lily thought for a moment. "Nope, I don't make that mistake anymore."

"Which one?" James replied, his voice sounding rather sleepy. "The sleeping, or the telling jealous ex-boyfriends about it?"

"The telling jealous ex-boyfriends about it," the redhead said softly into his ear, burying her hands in his dark, thick hair, pressing her lips to his stubbled Adam's apple, tracing lazy circles with her tongue. James moaned at the sensations, letting her tug his head backwards, his own hands flying to her waist, pulling her onto his lap. She scraped her teeth across his skin, pausing occasionally to suck and bite, almost drawing blood before his sharp cries caused her to cease her violent ministrations. She let her hands fall to the back of his neck, as he pressed her down onto the bed, their eyes meeting.

"You still feel it, then?" James asked, his weight resting on his arms, his body positioned over hers, their pelvises pressed together. He slid a hand across her stomach, leaning down to press gentle kisses to her forehead, feeling her hands grip his, forcing him to roll onto his side, and then his back, as his tongue found her earlobe.

"Feel what?" she asked, as a moan fell from her lips. "I don't feel anything anymore." And she burst into tears again, as he pulled her closer, smoothed her hair as she rested her head on his chest.

Lily's sobs slowed, and died. "I need you," he said, after thinking for several minutes, his hand playing with her hair. It wasn't a statement that needed to be replied to – he knew she still needed him, and that she would never admit to it. Even now, after she had broken him beyond repair, he still came crawling back for that one necessary thing.

She didn't budge, and he knew she had fallen asleep to the sound of his heartbeat. "Nox," the youth whispered, and the lights all went out, submerging the pair in darkness.

.y.g.e.

Sirius came in early the next morning, shaking James awake and eyeing Lily with distaste. How dare she do this to James again – she had no right. How dare she make him love her, make him feel things. How dare she set him up for the same pain, over and over again. Finally, James opened his eyes, reaching blindly for his glasses. Sirius handed them over, allowing his friend a minute to shove them onto his face.

"Go 'way, Padfoot," Potter said, trying to roll over until Sirius' hand stopped him.

"Dumbledore's here to see you. It's important," Sirius argued, practically dragging his friend out of bed. "You might want to put some pants on."

James nodded, reaching for the jeans he had discarded on the floor sometime in the middle of the night, when he got too hot. Lily was still asleep when he left, and he tucked the covers up around her neck, before running a hand through his hair and walking downstairs.

Dumbledore was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. Sirius handed another one to James as he sat down, obviously not fully awake. A few minutes later, Sirius left, his own coffee in one hand.

"James," Dumbledore began, his blue eyes less bright than usual. "I've got some… some news for you."

James' eyes snapped open, suddenly awake. No. He had known it would happen – he had known they were targets, and that they always would be. But he hadn't thought it would happen now. He loved them too much. No. He pinched himself, in the hopes that he would wake up, that it was all just an awful dream.

"Your parents were dispatched to a house in London early this morning," Dumbledore began, as James bit his lip. "They met several Death Eaters there, and it was... They were overwhelmed. They fought bravely."

James nodded, staring down into the black liquid in his mug. "Thank you, Professor." Despite his attempts to remain stoic, James' voice cracked on the final syllable, as he left the room, walking out onto the back porch, into the gardens, finally sitting down on a bench by the largest oak tree.

No. This was impossible. How could this happen now, when he needed them most? He wanted them back. How were they beaten by a bunch of death eaters? Up to now, Death Eaters had never stood a chance against his parents. When had everything changed? They weren't old by any means, not in his mind.

James had his head buried in his hands when Sirius took a seat next to him on the bench. He didn't respond to the hand on his shoulder, though he returned the hug Black initiated moments later. It wasn't a casual hug, but rather a brotherly embrace, each clinging to the other as if it was all that held them to this world.

.y.g.e.

Inside, the doorbell rang. Lily answered it, and found herself facing a tall blonde woman, her blue eyes peering down the hall as if that would make someone appear. "Hello," Gwendolen Summers began, not waiting to be invited in. "I'm here to see James."

Lily nodded, eyeing the other woman with distaste. She was taller, thinner, prettier. She could wear pink without worrying about it clashing with her hair. Her nose came to an elegant point, her eyes were the type that you noticed, her legs were a good deal longer than Lily's. "And who should I tell him is here for him?"

"His girlfriend."

.y.g.e.

**FLAME ME, PLEASE!!! (Not really.) But if you can't think of anything nice to say, leave a review anyways.**


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